Antidepressant
by Grey Skies and Sunshine
Summary: After taking a nearly fatal blow from both of her teammates, Sakura leaves Konoha behind. As she struggles through life as a Nuke Nin, she is forced to learn what it truly means to be a shinobi. (Sakura-Centric, RATING MAY CHANGE, PAIRINGS UNDECIDED.)
1. Prologue

('Naruto' belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Please support the official release.)

Antidepressant

_**Prologue**_

_I'd always wondered what would have happened if Kakashi had actually made it to us that day, the day Naruto and Sasuke had fought on the rooftop, the day they had intent to kill, the day I tried to stop them, the day I'd been hit with two S-rank jutsu. _

Picking at my bandages, I doubted I would have cared. I didn't regret it. It seemed… fair, in a cruel sort of way. She had owed a lot of life to those boys, the boys whom had saved her countless times. Hell, without them she probably wouldn't have made it this far. Chuckling humorlessly to herself, she felt a tear slip from her eye and onto her stomach, the sensation was uncomfortable and admittedly stung a bit. Most of her internal organs had been falling out of her when Kakashi found them.

She couldn't remember, but Tsunade had told her that Kakashi had to get help to move her and her intestines safely. She wondered if she should be embarrassed about that or not. Staring out of her hospital room window, she doubted it.

She hadn't been Naruto or Sasuke since the 'incident', she assumed Naruto felt bad and Sasuke just didn't care. So she didn't mind their absence, she understood. Kakashi had stopped by once but realizing that she hardly knew her own Sensei, conversation was sparse and awkward, so he'd left her be.

She really didn't want to sit and wallow in pity for herself, but it was just the way she felt. Looking down at her hands she cringed… or, she should say hand. The hand used to catch Naruto's rasengan had been… destroyed. It was a stub now, bandaged neatly. It made her stomach flip.

The other hand was scared and her fingernails had been lost in the intense heat of the chidori. Her short choppy locks had been burned off almost to a buzz cut on the right side. She was kind of happy Naruto and Sasuke weren't around, she didn't want them to see her like this. In reality, she didn't want anyone to see her like this.

She felt her chest shudder as she held in a sob, biting down hard on her lower lip. She stared upwards and held her breath. She wasn't going to cry, she wasn't going to cry, she wasn't going to cry. She would. not. cry.

Her chest shook violently but she didn't move or cry out. One, because the pain of movement would be unbearable even with the medical attention she had received. Two, because she'd promised herself she wouldn't get upset about this. She didn't want Naruto or Sasuke to feel guilty, it was her choice to try to break them up and it was better than both of them getting hurt.

"Let's face it… one of you are worth six of me…" She sighed to herself. Knowing it to be true.

She remembered the moments perfectly. They repeated in her mind over and over.

_Naruto and Sasuke howled as their hands were lit up with their signature attacks. Sakura watched in horror. She couldn't believe this. Her eyes filled with tears, they were going to kill each other! Her legs trembled violently and her body began moving on instinct. _

_She could stop them, she could. She repeated this in her mind over and over as she jumped in between the boys. She swore time had slowed just for them. Because she could see fear pass through Naruto's eyes and panic through Sasuke's. She held her breath, trying her best to give a small smile. "You're friends. Stop, please." She managed to choke out through tears just as the attacks hit her. _

_She'd been holding up her hand to stop Naruto's and it had soon disappeared in a tornado of blood, skin and bone fragments, splattering against his whiskered cheeks, his pupils had swallowed up all the blue in his eye as his sun tanned skin lost color. As he lost balance he fell before her, the heat from the crossfire of the attack burned deep into her stomach, her elbow had been extended to Sasuke and as his attack drilled into her stomach, her remaining hand was burned and some of her hair. _

_She remembered falling to her knees, a wet, slimy sensation on her knees as her face fell forward, smacking against the rough cement. She realized she could not hear, or speak, the pain that was going through her was like nothing she had ever experienced before. Her body was going cold, she wondered if she was dying. The thought brought terror to her, at first, she wondered what she had done to deserve such a violent death. _

_But in her last moments of consciousness, she decided that her death wouldn't be so bad. She managed to save her teammates, her Naruto and Sasuke, her friends, her comrades, they were safe. She'd finally been able to save them. As her mind slipped to black, she felt the corners of her numb lips pull upwards into a pained smile._

After that, everything had gone black. Tsunade had told her that Kakashi showed up during her last couple of minutes of consciousness. They told her she had been screaming the entire time, though she didn't remember screaming even once. Naruto had gone into shock and passed out, Sasuke hadn't spoken a word since the incident. At least, that's what's been said. She felt really bad for worrying them.

She felt bad in general.

To be honest… she didn't... she didn't want to wake up. She didn't want to be okay. Looking down at her bandaged body and amputated hand, she felt tears start welling up once again. She doesn't want to see them again, not like this, she felt so wrong. Like a broken toy.

A small knock at the door made her rip the covers up over her face. Her breath was stuck in her throat as she peeked out, it was… Tsunade.

"Don't worry, it's just me." Tsunade had whispered, creeping in and sitting down at the foot of the bed, being gentle obviously wasn't her forte, but she felt great compassion for the little girl that she'd spent the better portion of the evening pretty much putting back together. Honestly, it was a miracle she had lived, and was still alive. The damage to her internal organs was beyond full repair. Tsunade still feared the girl would pass at any moment, but tried not to let it show, for the girl's sake.

Sakura let out a small puff of breath, stiffly letting the sheet fall with a pained hiss as it touched the surface of her stomach.

Noticing her discomfort, Tsunade leaned forward, a small amount of her chakra had recovered after the girl's first healing yesterday evening, doing her best to heal some of the scorched flesh of the girl's stomach. "Do you want to try some more pain medication" She questioned, focused on the healing.

Sakura shook her head stiffly, "Why did you leave the village?" She questioned.

Tsunade froze, taken back from the girl's intrusive question. "I had my reasons, kid." She said stiffly, not meeting the girl's eyes.

"Do you think… Do you think this is a reason?" Sakura spoke, just barely above a whisper.

Tsunade's body froze. She couldn't process what the girl was saying, her blonde brows knitted together, "What?"

"Don't get me wrong… I know it would hurt Naruto and Sasuke and even Kakashi -Sensei… but… would this be a reason?" She whispered, tears flowing down her face. "Is it selfish to want that?" She cried softly.

She raised a hand to wipe away her own tears, but realized it was no longer a hand… her sobs came harder after that. Tsunade felt pain and confusion budding in her chest out of empathy for the girl. She was speechless. Only able to nod and softly stroke what was left of the girl's choppy, pink locks.

"It's okay." She whispered softly. Well aware it was not. Well aware this girl could die at any moment, well aware that her life would be forever changed. Well aware that this girl had been immensely wounded, as would her team.

"Is it selfish to want to flee? Is it cowardly to not want to have to face Naruto or Sasuke, to be their guilty reminder everytime they see me?" The girl cried.

"Sakura, you know they don't think that-"

"I'm not stupid." Sakura cut her off, "You know Naruto, you know how stubborn he is, you know how much this hurt him. And Sasuke… he has enough sadness in his life without feeling in every time he looks at me." She sobbed.

Rain began pouring violently outside her hospital room, as if the skies were crying the tears she could not.

Tsunade was confused. What was this girl looking for? Approval to leave the village? Comfort? Closure? Did she just need to let out her emotions? From the desperate, fearful voice in the small, broken girl's face as she began crying harder and harder. Tsunade felt a strange awkwardness in the situation. She knew this girl. She'd seen her prove to be a strong willed and confident girl. Seeing her this way was too odd for her to fathom.

The heart monitor reflected the girl's unsteady heartbeat. Tsunade felt a bit of panic in the situation, unsure of what to do. She bit the inside of her mouth. Did this girl not realize how close to death she was?

"I…" Sakura whimpered through cries, "I know I shouldn't be alive right now." She said, stunting Tsunade. "I really wish I wasn't…"

A harsh snap sounded through the room as Tsunade had snapped the metal siding of the hospital bed beneath her grip. "Don't ever say that." The older woman said in a low tone.

"How am I supposed to live like this?" Sakura bellowed, shoving her stump in the woman's face. Tsunade felt pain in her chest, seeing the girl this way. It was a saddening sight she felt as though she should not be seeing. But most of all, it reminded her of her own pain, after Dan had died, she saw the same sadness resting in the girls eyes. Losing him… was like losing a limb. She remembered the pity her friends would show to her for her loss, and how it almost hurt worse than being alone through it.

As Hokage, she could not tell her she had permission to leave the village. She was a kunoichi, and thus, could not simply leave. She would be considered a rogue and Tsunade would be forced to mark her a missing nin whether she wanted to or not. The woman could only sit in silence, listening to the pained cries of the girl, so different, yet so alike to herself.

"If you leave, Sakura, you would die." Tsunade spoke silently, the harsh truth hanging heavily in the air, she didn't want to have to say this, but she truly believed it was the only thing to bring this girl to the reality of the situation. "Medical Ninjutsu can only do so much, the damage to your internal organs is severe… you need to stay here. You being alive right now is a miracle."

To Tsunade's horror, the girl did not calm, nor did she seem to become more distraught. She didn't care. Tsunade's heart ached painfully for the girl. What was the right thing to do? What was she even able to do? Obviously she couldn't let the girl leave, not like this.

"You're right, Tsunade-Sama. I'm…. I'm just feeling really down on myself right now." The girl hiccuped, offering a small smile that made Tsunade's heart calm.

"Thatta' girl." Tsunade smiled, patting the small girl softly on the back and pulling the covers up over her small girl as she seemed to calm herself down. "Get some sleep, kid. Everyone has been waiting to see you" She winked, turning her back to leave the room, as she did, a single tear rolled down her cheek. She left the room, peering into the empty waiting room with a sad look.

Hours ago every rookie sat here, anxiously waiting for news on whether or not Sakura had survived, crying friends and worried allies all sat in wait. The girl had denied all visitors. Tsunade understood why, of course, she was beaten up pretty bad, she… she wouldn't look the same. It was a very painful realization for the young girl, and the loss of a limb as a young shinobi? Devestating.

Tsunade imagined the girl wasn't in her right mind, but felt as though their little talk at least quelled the girl's pain for the meantime. With a soft smile, she pushed open the doors to the Hospital's lounge, where a familiar blonde and brunette sat patiently, as they had been, all evening. "Visiting hours are over." She sighed to the young boys.

Naruto said nothing, just stared blankly at the floor, "Can I go see her?" He whispered hoarsely. The Uchiha a couple seats down from him said nothing, Simply sat with a blank expression on his face, Tsunade assumed he too, was waiting on an answer to Naruto's question to see if they were allowed admittance yet.

After Naruto had woken up he had almost released the nine tails trying to get to his teammate, and tried to burst into her hospital room despite her own wishes several times, therefore he was removed from the waiting room and told to wait in the lobby. As for the Uchiha, who had actually been conscious when the girl was taken, and tried to follow her into the emergency room. Thus resulting in being removed from the waiting room as well.

Sighing, Tsunade took a seat between the two boys, both obviously beyond destroyed with the realization they had wounded their teammate and earlier, the possibility that they had killed their teammate was racing through their minds, as a medic, she could understand a bit of their perspective as well as Sakura's. She'd lost patients and blamed herself, although, that was a different side of the coin.

"You know, Sakura's going to need a lot of support after this." She prompted to the two boys, who remained silent as the death with a miasma of guilt hanging heavy on them. "She's not upset with you guys, you know that? She wanted to protect both of you. And she doesn't regret doing so." Tsunade sighed, standing and waving a final goodbye to the boys.

Her heart clenched painfully as she left the hospital, a weird, foreboding feeling hanging heavy on her chest as she left the hospital.

…

Naruto sank lower in his seat. He didn't feel tired, though he'd been sitting in an uncomfortable wooden hospital chair for over twelve hours, staring at the same white, green speckled floor. He wanted to talk himself out of this funk, but his mouth was too dry, his heart too heavy.

He'd always taken pride in protecting his teammates, Sakura, the girl he liked, especially. It seemed stupid, but in the young mind of a boy, he thought he appeared heroic to her when he came to her rescue. That she'd start to see him as more than just her friend….and now… his chest tightened as his eyes began watering. He'd cried so much that his eyes were swollen and angry red, cheeks stained and sticky with all the tears he had shed. He'd almost killed Sakura, he'd been covered in her blood. Looking down at his favorite orange jumpsuit, he felt his stomach churn violently. He was _still_ covered in her blood.

His fingers dug violently into his scalp as he remembered… her screams of pain. Watching her hand evaporate into a whirlwind of blood just before he hit the ground. The pain in his chest he had never felt before. He rocked back and forth on feet. Trying to wish and pray and beg for some answer as to how he could ever fix this. How he could ever make this up to Sakura. Her words, still fresh in his mind; _"You're friends. Stop, please."_.

It repeated over and over in his mind. She knew that she was going to get hurt, even die, and she still tried to stop them. She still wanted them to remember that they were all friends in the end. She just wanted to keep them safe. She… she always put them first. Naruto found himself sobbing as he ripped at the roots of his hair. How could he do this to her? How could he do this to one of his precious people? He was supposed to protect them dammit! The sobs hurt, and were just as painful to watch. Nurses sat silently, knowing his pain in silence, having seen loved ones hurt and even lost before, they knew that their presence wouldn't help.

Sasuke, mere feet away, was digging his fingernails into his knees until they bled. Outwardly, he looked the more put together our of the two, but inwardly, his mind screamed violently. His mind was filled with rage, hatred, at himself. _Weak weak Weak Weak WEAK! _Screamed over and over and over in his own mind. His body was stiff and if you looked ever so slightly, you could see him tremble with rage.

He kept his eyes closed, his sharingan was violently activating and deactivating behind his eyelids. He did his best to contort himself into a less ominous state when he'd first arrived but once he'd seen her…. his mind had changed and he lost control.

His stomach was in a tight knot, his emotions tightening it to the point of pain as her face, her blood, her smile, all ran through his head at an alarming pace. He couldn't sit still, either twitching violently or pacing, he could not sit idly, the adrenaline fueled rage inside him made him want nothing more than to tear apart a few people… himself included.

Gnawing at the inside of his lip he scathed. Why? Why would Sakura make such a foolish decision? Did she honestly think she could survive that? She is so annoying… Always following him and trying to spend time with him, smiling at him… saving him.

'

_Damn it_! He thought, slamming his fight against his thigh. Why couldn't he stop his attack? Why? Why was he so weak that he couldn't stop one chidori? He couldn't save one single person. Not his family, not Sakura and definitely not himself.

Wallowing, the two boys cried violently into the night. Pushed by either crushing guilt or crippling rage, they mourned together.

…**..**

Kakashi came by the lobby to get the boys in the early morning, noticing they both looked like they had not only not left the hospital, but had not slept. Naruto's eyes looked infected and crusted with tears, deep bags forming beneath them. Sasuke looked stiff and his aura was off, motions snappy and eyes sharp.

The boys were treated with silence. Kakashi did not blame them, however, he needed them to know that their actions caused this, perhaps it was not their intention, but had they not decided to try and kill each other, Sakura wouldn't have been hurt in the crossfire. Though, looking at their absolutely destroyed forms, Kakashi figured they were punishing themselves for him.

He head the silent pair past the doors and into the waiting room for the ICU wing of the hospital, and just outside the green, double-doors of Sakura's hospital room. Taking a deep breath, he stood as a barrier between the boys and the door. Noticing their wide eyes staring right past him, he feared they would just run around him and bolt through the doors.

"There is something you should know." He said silently, hearing no noise from the other side of the door, he assumed she was sleeping. "Sakura looks…. different. The damage she took yesterday will greatly affect her life, and,,, career… therefore, I suggest you be sensitive to her, this is a hard time for her and you two owe her some compassion at the very least." He said with a sharp expression.

Naruto looked as if he would start crying again, but held back the tears. Kakashi nodded at him for his attempt, turning to Sasuke. He seemed to have forced himself into a less stiff looking stance, but his fingers drummed violently against his leg and his eyes remained filled with his frantic emotions. Though, Kakashi sighed, that was probably the best he would get out of Sasuke compassion-wise.

"Alright," Kakashi nodded, "You two stay right here, I'll-"

He never got time to finish that sentence as both boys, moving in synch, hurried past the silver-haired man, the doors flew open, and seconds turned to minutes as the three men froze into place, horror written all over their faces at the sight before them.

The bed was empty. The only signs of Sakura's existence in the room, was the small trail of blood that lead from the bed, to the window.

…**.**

Really hope you liked the first chapter, this story is based on 'Sunflowers for Sakura', a fanfic written by the author 'TinkerBellaTeamSwiss', the fanfic itself has three chapters and I loved every one of them, however, the fic hasn't been updated since 2012 and I really wanted to see more, so I decided to tweak a little story similar to theirs in the meantime. Please follow to stay updated, and review to tell me what you think so far. Also, there will obviously be some spelling/grammatical errors, I did this all on Google Docs and had no beta. Hopefully, as this is my second rough draft, It will do for the meantime. If the story progresses, I'll go back and fix mistakes and etc.


	2. Chapter 1

('Naruto' belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Please support the official release.)

Antidepressant

_Chapter One_

She realized she couldn't get very far. At least, not in her condition. Now that the pain was coming back from the strenuous movement on top of the soreness from her recently healed wounds which needed to be cleaned and her bandages changed. She wondered if they'd send a team out to look for her. The thought brought panic out in her and... a sense of shame. She felt terrible for running… but... she'd feel worse if she would have stayed.

She winced as she rubbed the light green paste she'd made from medical herbs around her abdomen, hissing as it touched the fresh stitches. Tsunade had managed to heal most of the burns, but that was about it. The pain was horrific as she wrapped her wounds in what was once her hospital gown, since she'd found her dress in the room they had put her in, although it was full of holes and burned in several places, it covered the necessary bits. She felt her stomach curl again and leaned to empty the contents of her stomach for the third time this morning. The tightening of her abdominal muscles made the girl whimper, but she dared not cry out.

It had rained twice since she'd left, her trail was long gone, they wouldn't find her. At least, that's what she told herself as she managed to gather herself to her feet, stumbling meekly out of the cave she'd been using to hide from the rain and making her way north. She wasn't really sure where she was going. She'd only been out of the village once, and that was escorting Tazuna to the land of Waves. She shivered slightly at the memory.

She doubted herself several times, but she told herself she'd already left. She couldn't just go back. She'd do it on her own, or die trying. Those were her only options now. She made her way through the muddy bog, using the trees as support to lean on as she did so. The few healing jutsu's she'd learned from Tsunade were not advanced enough to help her right now, but she'd managed to ease her pain a bit as she walked. It was hard getting used to the loss of her hand. She found herself unable to do certain things, some jutsu, especially, where both hands were necessary to perform the seals. The best she could do in her condition was a shadow clone or a basic healing jutsu.

Her stomach ached painfully, but she pushed on. The slick ground was tricky, but she managed well enough. She wished she had some semblance of an idea where she was going or what she would do when she got there. Feeling stupid for not thinking this out, she groaned. What was she doing? How would she survive? Scowling, she realized she was just repeating herself again.

She needed to stop doubting herself. It wouldn't make the situation any better. She could hear the sounds of movement far off and felt her heart give a panicked clench. The stiffening of her muscles was painful, but she tried not to show it, sliding down a hill and doing her best not to cry out as she was thrown on her side. No doubt tearing open some of her stitches as she rolled, whatever it was, it was getting closer. She clenched her eyes as she reached the bottom of the hill. It was a grove of trees and she stumbled to her feet, trying to hurry along on the mossy ground. It was getting closer.

She was in no condition to fight, and worst case scenario… they would try to take her back. She found her eyes watering with tears as she tried to lean on a tree for support to catch her sporadic breath, but missed as her amputated limb scraped along the rough bark. Wincing and holding her wrist with her hand she tried her best not to sob, seeing blood begin to pool beneath the bandages.

She couldn't run anymore… she could hear leafs crunching just beyond the mossy grove and held her breath. Kunai? Sleep gas? What? It didn't sound big enough to be human? Pakkun? Her eyes widened with fear at the thought. Were they able to detect a trail after all? Despite the rain?

Frozen in terror she could hear the sound growing closer, her body refusing to move as she clenched her eyes shut in preparation for the worst.

She could feel something warm and wet gently nudging her leg and opened her eyes to see… a fox kit? As she released a sigh of relief, the kit jumped and skittered behind a tree, peeking out and scanning her with it's little black eyes.

The creature slowly inched forward to her, and she watched in wonder as it came up and pecked it's snout against her leg once more, nudging her. She second guessed her first assumption. It couldn't be a fox, it was too dark. It was peppered in color, mostly black and white, with golden eyes. She'd never seen one that looked like this before.

She outstretched her hand, which the kit smelled cautiously, before nuzzling it's face into. It couldn't have been more than a month old, it's head fit perfectly into the palm of her tiny hand. Sakura petted it affectionately for a moment, before standing in preparation to leave. "It was nice meeting you." She smiled softly to the little creature before pushing forward through the thick grove.

She could hear it's little feet as it followed behind her and her brows drew together, "You can't come with me. Your family will worry." She insisted, shooing it away, being sure this time that it skirted out of her line of vision before he continued.

Yet, it still followed, with a small sigh, Sakura allowed it this time. Assuming it would eventually run off anyway. Night would be coming soon though, and she needed to find shelter, looking down at her stubby wrist, she doubted she could build one.

The pair spent the better portion of the afternoon scaling the forest. In wonder of how truly pretty it was. Sakura had lived in the village her whole life, even ventured into the forest to train and whatnot, but never really left. This one looked so different. There were no trails that lead through it, nobody had been here, at least for a long while. The hanging vegetation and leafy trees kept most of the rain away, but streams ran steadily with crystal waters. The mossy ground was soft and easier to walk on than the muddy moss from the forest on top of the hill.

She even found herself growing to like the company of the little fox kit, or… whatever it was. It would yip and run around her as she walked, adding a nice sense of comfort and pleasantry to her pains.

The settled beneath a hammock of foliage, where Sakura laid out some of the bigger leafs as a makeshift bed for the two of them. The kit, tired from the long day of travel, curled up immediately onto the small bed, and Sakura smiled.

Wincing, she reached into a small messenger bag she'd managed to snag off the counter of her hospital room, the bag that had contained her clothing, and pulled out what remained of her medical apron and the paste she'd managed to store in a little makeshift sack made out of leafs and tied off with a string of grass. It wasn't pretty, but it worked.

She tried to unzip the front of her dress out of convenience, but remembered that the zipper had melted in several places, she carefully pulled the bottom of her dress upwards, holding it beneath her chin as she looked at the bloody mess of bandages and dried blood. She needed to clean herself. Building a small fire by using her forearms to rub sticks together was a real bitch, but it managed to keep the fox kit warm while she stood to go bathe in a stream she had seen coming down here, the fox watched her with curious eyes as she went, but did not follow.

She was careful when pulling the dress over her head, but couldn't help but hold her breath at the pain the body movements caused. She felt her face flush with pain as the she lowered herself into the water, the cold sensation over her wounds was painful, but she could deal with it.

As gently as possible, she rubbed the dried crust and blood away from the wounds. Honestly, the scars weren't as bad as she thought. most of the scarring was well, floral, almost in a way, it looked as if she'd been struck with lightning, she thought with wonder. Well, in a way, she guessed she was.

A long stitch ran from just beneath her left rib to her right hip bone, and she was right, it had torn a bit, but not too bad. It would still last her a little longer. She tried to clean her hair too, which was admittedly odd. Her hair was so short on one side and long on the other. She tried not to think about it, her looks really didn't matter anymore. She was missing a hand for Kami's sake! Why even worry about her hair at this point?

After she cleaned herself, she tried to heal the area around the wound a bit more, closing it a bit and healing most of the bruising, the scars would not go away, but she guessed that was fine. She applied the ointment to what she could not treat and hoped for the best as she used whatever was left of her hospital clothes to make more bandages. Pulling her dress over her head she felt a bit better, now that she and her wounds were clean.

Making her way back towards the fire she noticed the fox kit was fast asleep and smiled, crawling in beside the small creature, who instinctively curled against her for warmth. She peered upwards through a gap in the thick, leafy tree branches. The night sky was black, speckled with millions of silver stars. She'd admit, it was a beautiful sight.

She didn't mind falling asleep under the stars.

…

She was a bit stiff when she woke up, but after moving around a bit, she felt okay to move forward. Snuffing out the fire she picked up the large messenger bag and carefully pulled it over her shoulder. The fox kit whined loudly and stood on it's back paws, placing it's front paws against her leg. "Can't carry you, sorry." Sakura apologized.

When the kit persisted, she sighed, scooping the small creature up into her palm and sliding it into the messenger bag, where the kit wabbled around a bit before poking it's head out with a happy yip. She smiled and trudged forward, feet still sore from yesterday, but it's not like she could stop moving now.

It was sunnier today, and it was warm upon her skin. She looked down at her ruined clothing and frowned, she liked this dress. She found herself on the outskirts of a small village. She didn't want to, but she'd admit that she snagged some clothing off a line before passing around the village. She felt bad for doing so, but she had to do what she had to do to survive.

She felt a little silly, in a white T-shirt two sizes too big, it had a large pink cat's head drawn on the front in a silly cartoon style, at least the pants fit her though. They were kapris that fell a couple inches below her knees and fit her loosely, but comfortably. The fox kit had become accustomed to being carried in the bag and Sakura really didn't mind it much. She was growing to like the small creature's company.

After she'd managed to bypass the small village, she found another small stream, using a sharpened stick, she caught a few fish, most of which were small in size but enough to cook over a spit and satisfy her and her little fox friend.

She would have loved for things to remain simple like this, but… she couldn't lie to herself. She doubted she could illude a search team much longer like this. Her wounds were hurting less today, but that didn't change her condition. Tsunade was right, her wounds would need a lot of treatment, Sakura found herself overexerting her chakra resources, healing herself seven or eight times a day.

It was tiring and she'd admit, she found herself dozing off a bit every time she sat to rest for a bit, but forced herself on. She didn't have a home anymore, so she would just travel. She'd see the world. She'd be happy, Naruto and Sasuke would be happy too. They wouldn't have to save her anymore, they'd get a new teammate, someone who could train with them and make them happy.

They'd be just fine. She assured herself.

Wiping away the few tears that had gathered in her eyes, she pushed onward.

…**...**


	3. Chapter 2

('Naruto' belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Please support the official release.)

Antidepressant

_Chapter Two_

Three weeks in to her travels, she was starting to improve with utilizing the use of her only hand and hunting was becoming a daily part of her routine. She was able to remove her bandages but the area was still sore and she was still having a hard time moving around too much. At least, to the levels of her prior ability.

The fox kit had surprisingly stayed with her and was showing signs of becoming an agile hunter, granted he only caught small field mice and the occasional insect, but it was still quite surprising for the young pinkette to see. For lack of something to call him, she'd decided to name the kit that had grown quite close to her, dubbing him Bandit. She couldn't say she was creative, but it suited the young fox well, she thought.

She currently found herself in a small cave she'd found at the bottom of a mountain, they'd been there for a few days and it was conveniently near a spring and a small patch of wild herbs good for storing up on medicines and whatnots, so they'd probably be staying for a few more days.

As she hung up her clothing on a line to dry, she sat at the foot of a shady oak tree, finger combing her hair as the sunlight basked over her pale skin. She could see a tree snake sunning itself a few feet away on a small pile of rocks, but paid it no mind. Something that would have severely irked her before. Yet, she felt as though she were becoming more accustomed to nature the longer she was out here. To the best of her abilities she was able to pull her hair into a bun, a horribly lopsided one, considering the hair on one side of her head had been singed off, but it kept the remainder of her hair out of her face.

She let her toes dig into the warm soil and let out a soft sigh. Now that her body was feeling better she felt a bit more calm at the situation. She had the rain to thank for that, it kept her scent wiped. She was surely out of the Country of Fire and at this point, she figured she was headed in the direction of the Country of Earth, which… wasn't exactly leaf-friendly territory, though she wasn't a leaf-shinobi anymore.

She pulled her clothes off the line as a particularly strong gust of wind hit her bare skin, causing a shiver to run down her spine. She hurriedly got dressed and pulled her satchel over her shoulders, Bandit appeared from a thick patch of bushes, a small grey mouse hanging limply from his mouth. Sakura smiled and gently scratched between his pointed ears. "Good job." She praised, the fox kit closed his eyes and leaned in to her touch.

She could feel the chill in the wind, even with the sun beating down from the sky, it would rain again tonight. She wanted to stay longer, but this was a precautionary measure. Bandit was certainly getting larger, but not to the point where she could no longer carry him in her bag, a pleasantry she was very grateful for, as now that some of her strength has returned, he's been having difficulty keeping up.

She scooped up the fuzzy kit and manouvered him into the bag, a trying task with only one hand, but she managed. He snuggled into the bottom of the bag and she scoped the cave for any materials she had left behind, snubbing out the fire and doing her best to kick any evidence of life from the mouth of the cave.

Once she'd finished she pulled the hood of a sweatshirt, also a spoil from an unattended clothesline, over her pink locks and lept for the lower branch of a tree, she was still getting the hang of this, her body felt lopsided with the absence of her hand, but she could manage.

Her thoughts often went to Naruto and Sasuke, she wondered if they were okay, if they missed her. What everyone was doing or thinking. The lack of socialization was beginning to get to her, she felt lonely.

…**..**

She'd made it three days East and she was near the Ocean's shore. She wondered what was on the other side of it. Some far off land she'd never been to, a place away from the Ninja villages. "Wouldn't that be nice." She smiled to herself, letting the cool sand squish between her toes. Bandit was curled beside her, nestled into a warmer patch of sand.

She picked at the stitches on her stomach, tugging at the ends until they released. She was certain they'd been ready to remove for quite a while. The skin was sore and it was uncomfortable to remove them, but she didn't protest as they pulled loose, an ugly scar and an itching sensation left in their wake.

Looking out at the bright sky ahead, she couldn't help but feel a bit nostalgic. It was a pretty sight, the sun shining brightly over the ocean, something she'd never seen before. A small chuckle escaped her lips as she dropped back into the sand with a soft smile on her lips. She felt unusually free today. Perhaps it was because she could feel her legs getting stronger, she was hardly tired from making the long journey anymore… She'd be lying if she said she didn't miss her home and teammates, but… this was nice. She felt a sense of freedom the father she got.

Bandit yipped and she turned to look at him questionably, the silver and grey hairs on the back of his neck were standing up and his ears were twitching. Her green eyes widened, she could hear a rustling not far off. She reached into her satchel, pulling a kunai free. Her eyes sharp as she came to stand at the fox kit's side, scooping the kit up in her free arm, holding him between her elbow and side, praying she wouldn't drop him considering she was lacking a hand.

A patch of blonde hair froze her in her tracks. Her heart skipping a beat. It couldn't be-

A boy of about twn stumbled out of the forest's edge. His face was pale and his cheeks were sunken in, his wide, green eyes full of fear as he saw the strange looking girl. Sakura released a breath of air she'd been holding and gently sat Bandit down and pushed the kunai back into her satchel.

The boy stumbled backwards as she strode toward him curiously, tripping over an upturned root and letting out a strangled cry, clutching his ankle in pain. "Please don't come any closer!" He pleaded. Sakura's brows furrowed together, was he scared of her?

"Okay." The pinkette said confusedly, pausing in her tracks and holding up her arms in a display of peace, Bandit curled around her feet, staring at the boy with his golden eyes. "If you're hurt, I can help you." She said softly.

The boy's eyes looked frightened, but an expression of pain was still swimming in them. Sakura could already tell he'd sprained his ankle. Her eyes softened and the boy, while still scared, nodded.

She approached slowly, watching him recoil in fear, but quietly came to kneel at his side, "This is a little hard to do with one hand, so I'm sorry, I can't do much." She said softly, pressing a soft hand to his bone thin ankle, already knotted and swollen. He had been running on this injury, though she couldn't really scold him, she'd done the same.

"Hey! What are you-" The boy jumped, but paused as he felt a cooling sensation begin to flow through his skin, cooling the burning pain he had been feeling only moments before. His body was rigid at her touch, but she could see he was bewildered by her actions.

"You're… a ninja?" He whispered.

"No." She said firmly, her tone causing the boy to recoil. "Not… anymore at least." She said softly, feeling bad for snapping at him. He looked scared enough. She couldn't shake of the strange feeling of talking to someone after so long.

"Alright. That should make it easier for you to walk." She said, pulling back, an unreadable emotion swimming through her emerald eyes. The young boy shook his ankle a bit, surprised he felt almost no pain at the action.

"I don't… I don't have any money right now… but… if you were a ninja once, that means you help people, right?" He said softly, voice still shaking. The girl paused, her back to him.

"If you want something. Ask." She said, her tone level. Though the expression on her face was sad, eyes swimming with mixed emotions. She hadn't talked to another human in so long, and he reminded her so much of Naruto, at least… his face did.

"I was running from some bad guys, they took my brother too… I… I just left him." The boy said, clutching at the sand beneath his fingers. Face full of shame for his actions.

"So you weren't strong enough to save him, so you expect someone else to do it?" She said, coldly. She felt a presence of pain in her heart, she couldn't ignore his request, but… something deep inside her was very hesitant to accept it.

"Yes." The boy said through his teeth, Sakura froze, "I was nothing but a deadweight."

_Deadweight. _The word hit her hard, making her heart sink painfully, she knew how bad that felt, to not be able to protect your precious people. How could she deny him help?

She looked down to Bandit, who was staring up at her, she could see a sort of pleading in the kit's eyes. Looking down at the fox with an annoyed expression she huffed. "I will do what I can to help you." She sighed, crossing her arms, "But only because I feel bad for you."

The boy's eyes lit up and he pulled himself to his feet, "Okay. He's this way, ma'am." He said, starkly more polite than before, Sakura nearly snorted at his change in behavior, but the situation at hand kept her from doing so. If it was one or two civilian guys she could easily take them out, even in her condition, however… with her lack of not only materials, but her hand, it would be a challenge even for a ninja.

Bandit kept close to her as they followed the boy through the forest. Several times Sakura had thought about going back, but… the look of fear in his eyes as he lead her through the forest kept her going, she'd looked like that too many times. She couldn't bear to see that look on anyone else. Her heart beat quickened in pace as she saw the boy's body language become more tense, rigid, they were getting close.

She couldn't sense any chakra signatures though, that was good.

She slowed her breathing, calming herself as the boy put a finger to his lips and motioned ahead, Sakura nodded, turning to the boy she whispered for him to stay back. He could easily get in her way.

The boy shook his head vigorously. The pinkette rolled her eyes at this, telling him to at least keep a distance, to which the boy agreed. He was becoming a nuisance. Honestly, this was none of her business, but… it reminded her of Tazuna the bridge builder in a way, even though it wasn't the mission they had agreed upon, Kakashi had taken it anyway. She didn't want to be a ninja, but she didn't want to be a bad person. She couldn't turn a blind eye to this because that's what she was taught.

Creeping as soundlessly through the forest as possible, Sakura knelt behind a tree, the smell of a campfire assured her the boy had taken her to the right place.

There were two sleep mats laid out beside it. Good, there weren't many. Far off she could see what looked like a person, tied to a tree by the waist. She still couldn't sense any chakra signatures, but even then. it didn't guarantee her victory. She needed to be careful.

A sound to her left drew her attention and she saw a burly looking man plop down beside the fire, a sword was tied to his hip and he looked decently tough. She silently motioned for Bandit to go and guard the other boy, which he did, but not without giving her an annoyed look. For a fox, he sure did show a lot of emotion. Or maybe she was just crazy.

Drawing her kunai she prepared to strike. Wilding through the trees around the clearing soundlessly she crept up behind the man, her heart was beating wildly and she could only pray the man couldn't hear it.

She struck him hard at the base of his neck with the curved end of the kunai. He made an ugly noise before crashing forward, unconscious. Kneeling forward Sakura pressed the blade to the back of his achilles tendon, if she cut this, he couldn't come after them-

Freezing, Sakura pulled back. What was she thinking? She'd never done something like that before. Why on earth? Cutting off her train of thought she pulled away, pushing forward to the tree where the boy was being held, she needed to get out of here quickly.

This boy looked older, about her age, with sandy brown hair that was tied in a low ponytail that laid over his bony shoulders, his head was resting on his shoulder, she could see he was breathing, but severely malnourished. He needed medical attention, quickly.

She quickly cut through the ropes binding him to the tree in one snap catching him on her shoulder, reaching for his wrists when a loud yip brought her attention to the sound of snapping twigs behind her, she rolled just in time to dodge the swipe of a sword that would have otherwise killed her. Hissing as the full weight of the boy was thrown over her, she rolled him off, not having time to feel bad about rough handling as she aimed the kunai at the man, he was smaller than his companion, but she could see the peaking lean muscle and the spite in his narrow eyes. He was fast.

"I'm a shinobi, are you sure you want to do this?" Sakura hissed, wearing the best brave face she could though the discomfort and anxiety in her was growing. She'd never had to face someone seriously one on one.

"Don't act so tough, kid." The man snickered. " Put that little knife down and I'll do this quickly." He sneered.

"Can't do that." Sakura hissed, rushing the man, just narrowly escaping another lethal blow from his sword, he aimed to kill her. Fear was welling up deep inside her, but she couldn't let it overcome her. Nobody was here to save her.

She couldn't throw the kunai, as it was the only one she had, her only weapon. It was hard to attack with a single hand, but she noticed that if she took most impact to her legs, she could keep up with his speed. She had to rely on that.

She summoned a shadow clone that was able to stumble him long enough for her to make a sharp incision on his left shoulder, rendering his left arm useless. At least she'd balanced the playing field a bit. "You bitch!" The man hissed loudly, charging for her, he knocked against her hard, knocking her on the side. She winced, but managed to sloppily roll aside, creating a distance between the two.

She was scared. She inhaled a shaking breath and forced herself to her feet, able to keep her legs from trembling just long enough to kick him hard under the chin, he caught her leg in his large hand and swung her aside, her head hit the ground hard and blackened her vision for a second.

She rolled to the right just as he made another chop at her, his sword implanted in the ground he took the opportunity and jammed her kunai forward. Hoping just to incapacitate him. When she opened her eyes, blood was spilling from his body and she felt herself go pale. He was looking down at her with wide, brown eyes as she lowered her eyes to the place the kunai had stabbed.

Straight through his ribcage. She'd punctured his lung. She looked back up as the man's eyes began to cloud and he slowly began falling forward. She was unable to move as his weight was pressed upon her, she could feel his last, dying movements as they crashed to the ground. His blood was soaking through her clothing, it felt warm and slimy, her stomach churned at the overwhelming coppery smell.

She had killed someone.

The sound of the crying boy snapped her back to reality, and she shoved the man aside. Slowly, rigidly making her way to her feet. Her fragile mind was filled with scattered sounds and thoughts. It was making a symphony of fear that silenced the world around her.

She could feel Bandit's paws pressed to thighs, but as she looked down, she could see the kit yipping violently at her, she could only numbly move forward, turning to see the little boy hugging his brother and crying. Sakura numbly stumbled forward, face blank and cold as she untied the bindings around the older boys wrists. She wouldn't be retrieving her kunai.

The little boy looked up at her with teary green eyes, but she couldn't hear the words coming out of his mouth.

She simply turned her back and walked numbly forward, the smell of blood was becoming too strong, her head spun violently. She leant against the trunk of a tree, losing the contents of her stomach in privacy. Bandit licked at the wound on her side as she did so.

She found herself unable to speak, but she returned to the scene of the crime, refusing to look at the man lying on the ground. "We need to get your brother to a hospital." She said numbly, leaning down to pull the unconscious boy's arm over her shoulder, using her weight to pull him upwards. He was surprisingly light to her now, or maybe her feelings had dulled due to shock, she bounced him forward so he could rest on her back. Pain rang through her wound, but it was shallow, it would be fine.

"Where do you two live?" She questioned the short boy, eyes facing forward.

"We live a few days away, in Iwa." The little boy said, looking down at his feet. Sakura didn't question why he responded this way, only nodded and pushed forward, "I can't enter the village. But I'll get you to the border." She said, pulling forward. She'd passed a village on the way here, she was sure it was the right one.

As she walked forward, she couldn't hear the boy trailing her.

"If you don't hurry, I'll leave you both." She said, pushing forward.

The boy hesitated, but chased forward.

Sakura couldn't shake off what she had done, but she couldn't just leave these two out here to die.

…**..**


	4. Chapter 3

('Naruto' belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Please support the official release.)

Antidepressant

_Chapter Three_

They were getting close. She knew the large rock wall was infamous for being impenetrable, a true pride of the village. So she doubted she could actually sneak them in, she'd have to leave them at the border.

They had walked for a day, but the boy was unable to continue much longer. Sakura aided the older brother in what treatment she could, but he needed more than she could offer. He had yet to wake up, but they'd managed to get him to drink some water by propping it up and pouring it down his throat, but that would only go so far.

Not a word had been uttered by her for the time being, she could tell her anxiety was passing through her to Bandit, he hadn't left her side since they began heading toward Iwa. She scratched the top of his head fondly, unable to bring a smile to her lips. She felt sick, unable to eat. Bandit had managed to catch a rabbit for the boy, which she'd skinned and stuck on a spit to cook.

Her head kept replaying that moment… where she'd taken that man's life, the look in his eyes. She guessed she couldn't have avoided it forever, with her being on the run like this… even if she had stayed, she would have killed someone in the long one anyway, weather she wanted to or not.

Her head snapped up as the boy stumbled out of the woods, a pleased look on his face as he looked over to his brother, sitting beside him, he looked at the cooking rabbit. "Can I have some?" He questioned Sakura quietly, eyes facing the ground.

Sakura nodded, pulling the rabbit off the roasting stick and handing it to the boy. He looked curiously at it for a moment, but as agitation started seeping from the girl, he took it without question, biting into the meat with a hunger that would have surprised the girl, had she not been in the mental state she was.

"Aren't you going to have some?" The young boy questioned, blushing as he felt bad for eating so vigorously in front of her.

Sakura shook her head casually and stared up at the starry sky above, Bandit curled up in her lap. It was warm. She could see the little boy shaking slightly. Noticing the torn state of his clothes and the thin material, she sighed, pulling her hoodie over her head, cleaned of blood after the event when they'd stopped at a stream to wash.

She tossed it to the boy who looked at the girl before him with a curious expression before pulling it over his head, it was too big for him, but he took it without complaint, continuing to scarf down his meal, having not had a proper one in a long time.

"Aren't you curious why he took us?" The boy questioned the girl before him, noticing the brown, dirty bandages covering her arm, the one missing a hand.

The pinkette looked at him before shaking her head, "I don't care." She said, closing her eyes and leaning her head against a tree and closing her eyes, trying to silence the constant humming of thoughts in her head.

"Since you saved us… I'll tell you anyway." The little boy persisted. "Our parents are very wealthy, we have guys trying to kidnap us all the time, Yosuke managed to slip away from our bodyguards and when I tried to scream for help, they took both of us… They were really bad guys…" He muttered, looking down at his feet.

Sakura heard his comment, but did not respond. She opened her eyes to reach over and toss two more logs into the fire, sending sparks flying into the sky.

"By the way, my name is Seko, and my brother is-"

"Yosuke." Sakura interrupted dully, "I heard you the first time, go to sleep." She muttered annoyedly, turning onto her side to ignore the young boy. She didn't want to be rude to him, but she didn't want to think about it anymore.

She could hear the little boy shuffling around behind her, and then the sound of sleeping breaths. Sighing, she lent upwards, getting an annoyed look from Bandit who was comfortable before she moved positions. She frowned at the sight before her.

She little boy was curled against his brother's side, clutching to his brother's tattered clothing, as if scared he would disappear once more. Sakura stood, "Keep an eye on them, I'm going to take a bath." She whispered to the fox kit, who didn't seem to disagree.

She weaved through the moonlit path, eyes somber as she began stripping the dirty bindings from her arm and pulling the shirt off her slim frame, resting them aside as she entered the stream, she normally would have flinched at the temperature, but she couldn't really feel it. As she sunked her head under the water, scrubbed violently at herself. She felt as though she could still feel the blood on her body.

When she resurfaced it didn't take long for her to start crying again. She didn't take long to pull on her clothing, not bothering to dry as she pressed her knees to her chest and sobbed to herself.

This isn't what she wanted. This isn't why she left the village. Now she was both a traitor and a murderer, she didn't kill for the sake of her village, she killed someone because she didn't want to die.

In that moment, it had nothing to do with the boys with her, all she knew is that she didn't want to die right then and there… her body just moved on instinct. She felt so bad.

"Why am I doing this to myself?" She questioned herself, her voice hoarse from crying so much. She had to bury this thought. She was a shinobi, he was already dead. Crying won't solve anything. She killed him, she didn't have the right to feel sad about it now. She would have to kill someone else in the future. It was the reality she now lived in.

She stood, pulling on her capris and combing her fingers through the long end of her hair, the other side was about an inch long now, her hair had always grown fast. Her eyes felt puffy and sore, but she sat down beside the fire, throwing on another log before curling beside Bandit, stroking her fingers through his soft fur and trying to force herself into any kind of sleep.

…**.**

It surprisingly only took another day for the stone fortress of Iwa to come into view. Sakura, who was sore from carrying the older brother, Yosuke, for such a long time, was feeling relieved.

"How much father will you take us?" Seko questioned weakly, legs obviously tired and Sakura was sure the experience of being kidnapped and starved was pretty mentally straining on such a young boy.

"I'll take you to the border." She said, straight forward and simply. She couldn't be seen, she looked too suspicious.

"Oh." The younger boy whispered, looking around nervously.

"What? Don't you want to go home?" She questioned, arching an eyebrow at the young blonde dragging his feet ahead of her.

"It's just... " The boy said softly, staring down at his feet as his expression began to drop to one of sadness, "I don't think Yosuke would like that." The young boy said.

"He needs a hospital. He'll be happy when he wakes up." Sakura said, staring ahead.

"Yeah…" The little boy whispered.

The rest of the trip was taken in silence. The sun was in the middle of the sky by the time they made it to the border. Surprisingly, Sakura didn't sense any guards. But… looking up at the impressive rock formation, she doubted they would need many.

"Can you get in?" She questioned, looking down at Seko.

The little blonde nodded, "this way."

"You know, you shouldn't show people the way into the village." Sakura sighed in annoyance. "it's hidden for a reason, Seko."

"I know that!" The little boy snapped, raising his nose to the air, "But…" He said with a small smile, "If you were a bad guy, you wouldn't have saved my brother."

Frowning, Sakura sat the older boy down, "Seko." She called to the child, he paused and turned to stare at her with curious eyes, blushing as the girl clapped a hand over his shoulder, "Bad guys can be anyone, It doesn't matter how nice they seem. That's something you need to remember, if you don't want this to happen again. Your brother was foolish and forgot that." She said firmly.

"I won't be here to save you next time, you might pay with your life." She finished, pulling the older boy over her shoulder once more. The little blonde seemed stricken by her words, teary eyed, as if he was scolded.

Sakura winced at the thought of the young boy bursting into tears, but what he did surprised her.

"I promise, I'll get stronger. That's how I'll repay you, I'll never get taken again!" The little boy smiled at her through blurry eyes. The determination in his little voice rattled her to the core, she offered a small smile and ruffled the young boy's hair.

"That will be sufficient payment." she smiled.

As they made their way around the border, Sakura found herself feeling more and more anxious, not because they were getting close to another hidden village, something just felt… off.

A snap in the distance brought her senses to life and she lunged forward, shoving the small child down as an arrow slammed against the rock wall behind them, snapping as it made contact. It was aimed at Seko's leg.

Sakura's emerald eyes became fierce as she laid down the older boy, "Stay here." She ordered the small blonde, looking terrified as Sakura made her way into the forest. Who could possibly attack so close to the border? Iwa guards? No. Still no chakra signature.

She could hear the bow snap, so he had to be close, very close.

She summoned two shadow clones and split ways as the they headed for the trees, with the trajectory of the arrow the perpetrator had to be aiming high. They scoured the branches, unable to find anyone. She couldn't seek him out on his chakra signature, which made things much harder. Weaving through the leafy forest branches, she found a crossbow positioned in the arch of the tree, a line was tied from the trigger, she followed it forward, before her heart thudded violently.

She had seconds to leap from the high tree branch as the explosive tag ignited, she shielded her head as she tucked and rolled, hitting the ground hard, she winced as she stood, assessing the damage to her body. She'd luckily not broken anything, this time. That was a foolish mistake.

"So, you're the one who stole those brats."

She jumped as she saw the large man, the one she had knocked unconscious, standing before her, lent against the trunk of a tree, a kunai- her kunai, spinning around his fingertip. A dark sneer on his face as he looked at her.

"So, I'm going to assume you're the one who took out Shun Uoo." He said, a sinister laugh bubbling upwards in his throat, "What a weakling, you know, I was probably going to kill him anyway. Who wants to share 100,000,000 yen with anyone, really?" He said, his tone amused, it twisted her stomach in knots.

"100,000,000 yen?" Sakura questioned, just vying time at this point. She needed a way to protect herself, but she lacked a weapon.

"That's the price over those little brat's heads. Didn't you know?" The man smiled at her. "They're the kids of some big shot politician, well… the little one is. The older one was just an accident. We didn't realize he was some street rat that got taken in." The man sighed.

"They're children." Sakura hissed at the man, her body instinctively taking a protective stance.

"Yes, they are. And… so are you," Said the man, striding forward to take an aggressive stance, "I suggest you die quickly." He grinned. "I don't have time to waste on you."

She couldn't let him have Seko or his brother. She had killed someone to bring them here, it would be worth nothing if they all died here. She would have dirtied her hands for nothing.

"Then quit talking and fight me!" Sakura snarled, already in the air as she slammed her foot against the man's jaw, he snarled and made a grab for her, but she escaped his grasp. Luckily he was a lot slower than his companion, but she had a feeling he packed a strong punch and just hitting him would do little to stop him.

Who hadn't she attacked him when she had the chance?

Her fist slammed hard against his forearm as he blocked her attack, she was able to dodge his own, but she doubted for long. She'd lost a lot of energy from the journey here. She couldn't keep this up long.

Twisting around a hard kick he'd sent her way she saw the sword at his hip. Why hadn't he drawn it yet? If she could get her hands on it… she could win.

Using speed to her advantage, she began parrying his attacks the best she could. She was sure she could get the sword if she moved quickly enough.

…**.**

Seko was scared, crying, he tried to pull his brother off the ground, but he was too heavy. He needed to get away, there was no one here to protect him. He had to get his brother away or they'd be taken again.

"Yosuke please, please wake up!" He cried loudly, pitifully shaking his brother in urgency. He had to wake up, Seko couldn't carry him. "Please!"

…**..**

She could taste her own blood in her mouth as she persisted on, he'd landed a few good punches, and she was definitely feeling the after effects. She was nearly out of stamina.

Her vision was blurring dangerously as she ducked a particularly heavy punch.

The sound of metal against metal drew her attention as she wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth.

Her eyes widened as she saw Yosuke, the older brother, holding the sword that was once at the side of an angry bandit's hip. He'd pulled the sword free during the fight. "Get back, idiot!" Sakura hissed, taking the full force of a knee to the stomach, she dropped to a knee.

"You damn brat." The large man growled, kicking Sakura to the side and clutching the weak boy by the throat, pinning him to a tree. Sakura's vision went black as she lost the contents of her stomach, she forced herself up on wobbly knees.

"K-kunoichi…" The boy choked out, his green eyes meeting her own, "I owe you." He smiled weakly, throwing the sword to her. '

She smiled, "You damn idiot."

She heard the disgusting crack of bone and flesh as she shoved the sword forward, through the bandit, dropping to a knee, she felt an odd sense of peace pass over her before she hit the ground.

She hoped she was able to save them, the boys.

She didn't want her efforts to be in vain.

…**..**


End file.
